Use Your Time Wisely

Ephesians 5:15-21 ESV

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

1. What is our walk to look like as followers of Jesus Christ?

2. What are many way in which we can be “drunk” on something?

3. What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit?

4. How are we to address one another in spiritual songs?

Okay, so we just got finished reading and talking about verses 1-14 which instruct us, who are followers of Jesus Christ, to be his true followers, to walk in his ways and not in the ways of the flesh, and not in sin. And now we are being instructed to look carefully how we walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

So, what does that look like? One thing that comes to my mind first is that we need to be those who get our counsel from the Lord and from the Scriptures and who inquire of the Lord as to whether or not we should do this or that, or go here or there, when those kinds of decisions need to be made. We should not be those who make quick emotional decisions that may come back to bite us later on. We should not go by our feelings, but we should be people of God who walk by faith and who inquire of God.

We also need to walk wisely and exercise much spiritual discernment. For just because it looks good it doesn’t mean that it is good. So before we watch a movie or a TV show or a video, if we do that, it is wise if we can check out in advance what these films are about and find out what the content is so that we do not subject ourselves to watching what is immoral and against God and against the Scriptures. For we are to have pure minds and hearts, and we need to keep them that way.

We also must be people who don’t toy with sin. We don’t go directions we know we should not go. We don’t “tempt fate,” so to speak. We don’t try to justify and rationalize that such and such is harmless when it is not. We know our weak areas. We don’t test them. So we exercise wisdom and discernment and we make good judgments even if others make fun of us and think we are old fashioned or whatever. For they can laugh at us and mock us all they want, but we need to remain pure.

And then we are to make the best use of our time. So many professing Christians these days are all caught up in the world and the things of this world and the pleasures this world has to offer them. And so they are walking in conduct according to the ways of the world and not according to the ways of God. And they are not using their time wisely for the glory and praise of God. And so many are talking about everything but about Jesus Christ. So many are not sharing the message of the gospel of our salvation with the people around them. But we are to be the light of the world!

So, we are to understand what the will of God is for our lives. And that is that our lives are to be surrendered to him to do his will, that he now owns us, and that we are now his possession, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them. Now our lives are to belong to Jesus to serve him in doing what he has for us to do, and not to please ourselves, and not for selfish gain.

And this word “drunk” is the same as “intoxicated,” and we can be intoxicated to so many things. For it means to be out of control, to have something else controlling our minds and our actions, but not God. So we can be intoxicated to sin and to self-pleasure and to self-indulgence, and these are all wrong, and these are all things we are to get rid of. 

Instead we are to be filled with the Spirit of God. And this is not just something else which takes over our minds and our bodies to where we lack self-control. For listed among the qualities of the fruit of the Spirit is “self-control.” But this is not “selfish-controlled.” It just means that, under the power of the Spirit of God, we are not living out of control doing things we should not do because another “spirit” is controlling our minds and actions and not the Holy Spirit. We are now following God with our lives.

And then we are to address one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. And this is not a song service at a church service where we all sing whatever the worship leader leads us all to sing. This is sharing with one another psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to encourage one another in the Lord and in our walks of faith and obedience to the Lord. This is us speaking or singing these songs to one another, and they don’t have to be professional sounding at all, but just from our hearts of love for each other.

And submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ means that we yield to one another in areas that are non-essential in order to live in harmony with one another. But this never involves compromise of truth and righteousness and holiness. This never involves compromise of the Scriptures in order to get along with everyone else. We never compromise in areas of morality, either. We must remain faithful to our Lord in all ways.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Make Me a Servant

By Kelly Faye Willard

Make me a servant

Humble and meek

Lord let me lift up

Those who are weak

And, Lord, may the prayer

Of my heart always be

Make me a servant

Make me a servant

Make me a servant today

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pv8bY61S2M

Caution: This link may contain ads